Given the chance to address Donald Trump’s suspension of due process and defiance of the judiciary, Newsom—a would-be leader of the national opposition—called the case a “distraction” from the president’s tariff policies. Despite growing public outrage, he wanted to stick to prepared remarks about almond exports.

Senate Republicans are aiming to pass a rescissions package on a party-line vote, which Democrats say would upend the government funding process ahead of a Sept. 30 deadline.

The GOP victory lap imposed huge pressure on Democrats to finally step up with an effective political strategy to take on an increasingly dominant president — and to turn his achievement into an anvil.

But Trump didn’t destroy the Democratic Party. They did it all on their own by never offering voters something better, or anything at all but Trump hate. Mamdani stood apart by doing the unthinkable: He ran as an unapologetic Democratic socialist.

Democratic lawmakers say some voters are urging them to embrace extreme tactics to fight Donald Trump, with one citing calls to "storm the White House."

The founders of the initiative, the States Forum, say they hope to extend successful Democratic policies across states and even to the national level.